Colorado Listeria Deaths Prompt Warning
Two Listeria deaths in Colorado and a rush of seven other Listeria hospitalizations -- all coming toward the end of August -- prompted the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to issue a listeriosis warning on the cusp of Labor Day Weekend.
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Colorado residents -- especially on the front range from Weld County to El Paso County -- are on alert to avoid certain foods prone to contamination and take special cooking precautions. A state laboratory is trying to get a DNA fingerprint for the nine Listeria cases. The fingerprint is critical to tracing the outbreak to whatever food is causing it.
One of the women sickened in the outbreak almost died and is still hospitalized, her daughter told ABC News affiliate 7News in Denver. Tiffany Weider said her mother, Shelly Occhipinti-Krout, has been critically ill at Parker Adventist Hospital. "I just definitely wouldn't want to see anybody else have to go through this,'' Tiffany said.
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Listeriosis, the infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes, is a rare human disease, but it has a 20-30 percent fatality rate and can have serious clinical manifestations in susceptible population groups, including pregnant women, fetuses, the elderly and people who have weakened immune systems. Listeria symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, difficulty breathing, and poor feeding. Pregnant women who develop listeriosis may experience only mild flu-like symptoms, although they are at risk for premature delivery, miscarriage, and stillbirth.
Colorado Listeria Warning
- Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood, unless it is contained in a cooked dish, such as a casserole, or unless it is a canned or shelf-stable product. Refrigerated smoked seafood, such as salmon, cod, tuna and mackerel, is most often labeled as "nova-style," "lox," "kippered," "smoked" or "jerky." Canned and shelf-stable tuna, salmon and other fish products are safe to eat.
- Do not eat soft cheese such as feta, queso blanco, queso fresco, brie, Camembert, blueveined or panela (queso panela) unless it is labeled as made with pasteurized milk. Make sure the label says, "made with pasteurized milk."
- Heat hot dogs and deli meats to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Clean spilled fluid from packaging from all surfaces Wash hands after handling. Avoid eating refrigerated pates or meat spreads.
